Pauline Mathilde Lucie Auguez de Montalant (28 March 1868 – 18 July 1955) was a French opera singer (light

soprano A soprano () is a type of classical female singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hz to "high A" (A5) = 880&n ...

Biography

Training

Auguez was born in

Amiens Amiens (English: or ; ; pcd, Anmien, or ) is a city and commune in northern France, located north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme department in the region of Hauts-de-France. In 2021, the population of ...

. Her father, Auguste Jules Arsène, was employed by the railway. As a student at the

Conservatoire de Paris The Conservatoire de Paris (), also known as the Paris Conservatory, is a college of music and dance founded in 1795. Officially known as the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris (CNSMDP), it is situated in the avenue ...

, she received a third medal for

solfège In music, solfège (, ) or solfeggio (; ), also called sol-fa, solfa, solfeo, among many names, is a music education method used to teach aural skills, Pitch (music), pitch and sight-reading of Western classical music, Western music. Solfège is ...

in 1885, a first prize for

opéra comique ''Opéra comique'' (; plural: ''opéras comiques'') is a genre of French opera that contains spoken dialogue and arias. It emerged from the popular '' opéras comiques en vaudevilles'' of the Fair Theatres of St Germain and St Laurent (and to a l ...

in 1886, a second singing prize in 1887 and a second prize for opéra comique in 1887.

Career

Her stage debut was in 1887 at the

Opéra-Comique The Opéra-Comique is a Paris opera company which was founded around 1714 by some of the popular theatres of the Parisian fairs. In 1762 the company was merged with – and for a time took the name of – its chief rival, the Comédie-Italienne ...

. Her first important role, on 29 March 1888, was at that theatre in ''Madame Turlupin'', an opéra comique by

Ernest Guiraud Ernest is a given name derived from Germanic word ''ernst'', meaning "serious". Notable people and fictional characters with the name include: People *Archduke Ernest of Austria (1553–1595), son of Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor * Ernest, ...

, in which she played Isabelle. She then sang in ''le Baiser de Suzon'' by

Herman Bemberg Herman Emanuel Bemberg Ocampo (29 March 1859 – 21 July 1931)Baker, Theodore; rev. by Nicolas Slonimsky (1978) ''Baker's Biographical dictionary of musicians – 6th ed.'' New York: Schirmer Books, 138. was a German-Argentine composer. Life He wa ...

(premiere, role of Suzon); in Gounod's ''

Mireille Mireille () is a French given name, derived from the Provençal Occitan name ''Mirèio'' (or ''Mirèlha'' in the classical norm of Occitan, ). It could be related to the Occitan verb ''mirar'' "to look, to admire" or to the given names ''Miriam'' ...

'' and Maillard's ''

Les dragons de Villars ''Les dragons de Villars'' (''The Dragoons of Villars'') is an opéra-comique in three acts by Aimé Maillart to a libretto by Lockroy and Eugène Cormon. The story of the opera was said to have been borrowed from ''La Petite Fadette'' by George ...

''. On 30 January 1889, she premiered

Louis Varney Louis Varney (; 30 May 1844, New Orleans, Louisiana – 20 August 1908, Cauterets, France) was a French composer. Biography Louis Varney was the son of Alphonse Varney, a French conductor at the Bouffes-Parisiens and at the Grand Théâtr ...

's ''la Vénus d'Arles'' at the

Théâtre des Nouveautés The Théâtre des Nouveautés ("Theatre of the New") is a Parisian theatre built in 1921 and located at 24 boulevard Poissonnière (Paris, 9th arr.). The name was also used by several earlier Parisian theatre companies and their buildings, begin ...

. On 11 December 1891, at the

Théâtre des Variétés The Théâtre des Variétés is a theatre and "salle de spectacles" at 7–8, boulevard Montmartre, 2nd arrondissement, in Paris. It was declared a monument historique in 1974. History It owes its creation to the theatre director Mademoiselle ...

, she was Denise de Flavigny in Hervé's ''

Mam'zelle Nitouche ''Mam'zelle Nitouche'' is a Opérette vaudeville, vaudeville-opérette in three acts by Hervé (composer), Hervé. The libretto is by Henri Meilhac and Albert Millaud. This story of a respectable musician, transforming himself into a songwriter at ...

''. Later at the Variétés, she played in Offenbach's ''

les Brigands ''Les brigands'' (''The Bandits'') is an opéra bouffe, or operetta, by Jacques Offenbach to a French libretto by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy. Meilhac and Halévy's libretto lampoons both serious drama (Schiller's play ''The Robbers'') an ...

''. In 1894, she gave a song recital at

la Bodinière The Théâtre La Bodinière was a theater in Paris directed by Charles Bodinier between 1890 and 1902. It staged lectures and performances for a distinguished audience of aristocrats, grand bourgeois and intelligentsia. Background Charles Bodi ...

, which earned her this comment in '' la Caricature'': Her performances were frequently acclaimed by critics. For example, the ''

Journal amusant ''Journal amusant'' was a French weekly satirical magazine published from 1856 until 1933. It was founded by the caricaturist, journalist, and publisher Charles Philipon. The magazine's immediate predecessor was ''Journal pour rire'' which Phili ...

'' wrote in 1910: On 10 March 1898, she married journalist and playwright

Henri Lavedan Henri Léon Emile Lavedan (9 April 1859 – 4 September 1940), French dramatist and man of letters, was born at Orléans, the son of , a well-known Catholic and liberal journalist. Lavedan contributed to various Parisian papers a series of witty ...

. Auguez died on 18 July 1955 at her home in the

6th arrondissement of Paris The 6th arrondissement of Paris (''VIe arrondissement'') is one of the 20 Arrondissements of Paris, arrondissements of the capital city of France. In spoken French, it is referred to as ''le sixième''. The arrondissement, called Luxembourg in ...

.Archives de Paris 6th, death act #622, year 1955 (view 3/31)
/ref> She is buried with her husband and their daughter Geneviève at Père-Lachaise Cemetery..

References

External links

Auguez Mathilde (1868-1955)
on Amis et passionnés du Père-Lachaise {{DEFAULTSORT:Auguez, Mathilde 1868 births 1955 deaths People from Amiens Conservatoire de Paris alumni French operatic sopranos Burials at Père Lachaise Cemetery